Is it true that I can just power off a digital mixer (such as the Pioneer RX2) without some process? Since it has a built-in computer I would expect a shutdown process instead of just immediate power off which is what happens with the power off button.

Usually a computer needs a software shutdown process which takes a while to "clean up" the running programs but in this case it seems just like "cutting the power", therefore I felt that I might have missed something.

Do you feel that this question enhances the canon of sound design wisdom?
– MarkSep 15 '18 at 9:11

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I disagree that this is off-topic, pro-audio DJ equipment is as much pro-audio as pro-audio live sound reinforcement, which is on-topic
– Edwin van MierloSep 17 '18 at 10:17

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@RoryAlsop I disagree STRONGLY. Proper system shut-down procedure is a day-one basic live-sound lesson to prevent us from blowing speakers, and if only one DJ came through my venue with this knowledge I would consider it a blessing.
– user9881Sep 17 '18 at 16:04

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@RoryAlsop How to operate the equipment properly has "nothing to do with it" ? Really? Usually a computer needs a software shutdown process and not an immediate shutdown. The question is only logical.
– Niklas RosencrantzSep 17 '18 at 23:33

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@RoryAlsop I'm actually in disagreement with you here too. Proper use of live hardware is certainly on topic and needing to know if there is anything different about digital vs analog consoles is a pretty important piece of information for live sound, which is in scope.
– AJ Henderson♦Sep 18 '18 at 14:11

2 Answers
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In general these days, the power-off switch on digitally controlled pro audio equipment initiates a controlled shut down procedure instead of just killing the power supply, so you need to worry less about “popping” the system.

That being said, you should probably still ensure that all amps & powered speakers are tuned off console. Better safe than sorry!

It depends on the digital mixer. Many digital mixers run on firmware rather than software and such firmware is much simpler than a modern operating system, so sudden loss of power is not a concern due to there not being any critical state data that could get lost. The board will start up clean from a fixed state every boot regardless of what you do. There might be issues if you pulled power in the middle of saving a preset or something, but otherwise it would be fine.

Other boards actually are just USB control surfaces to an actual computer, some even running versions of Windows. These consoles are a bit more likely to have problems as a result of sudden power loss since Windows might do something under the hood that you don't realize it is doing. The best practice will be to follow the documentation for your board on these. I don't expect a major problem is likely from sudden power loss as not a lot is happening in terms of persistent state changes that might be in-process (and even desktops are a lot more resilient to that kind of thing now), but if the manual suggests a particular power down procedure, it should be followed.

Keep in mind that both of these still should follow the rest of proper system shutdown, with shutting down from output backwards (speakers to board) to avoid spikes and pops through the system as components may still surge slightly on power down.